Why Flyers Who Paid Rs 92,000 Amid IndiGo Cancellations May Get Relief: Aviation Minister Admits Lapse | Exclusive

Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu said the government is examining possible compensation for passengers who paid exceptionally high airfares during last week's disruptions, including Delhi–Bengaluru tickets that surged to Rs 92,000. He said the ministry "regrets the inconvenience" and will consider relief for those affected by the spike in fares.Responding to questions about passengers who faced steep surge pricing, Naidu said, "Whoever has faced these hardships, I also want to say that we regret the inconvenience that has happened. We sympathise with them. This is an incident which shouldn't have happened."When pressed on compensation, he said the government was actively considering options. "Yes, in some kind of way. Yes. Some kind of way. So what

exactly is that? I'm not able to tell right now. But we are thinking about," he said. On whether those who paid Rs 90,000 for tickets would be included, he added, "We will take that into account."Naidu said the ministry acted to curb fare spikes but acknowledged a delay before the order took effect. "There was a short gap between the releasing of the order and this thing," he said. When told that passengers did not view the two-day window as "short", he said the government will analyse the situation and review it retrospectively.The minister also issued an apology for the wider airline disruption. "Yes, I'm apologising. I'm apologising from my part. There is no ego for me to not apologise," he said. "I'm also responsible as a minister to ensure that this sector is flying high. When this kind of incident happened, it puts extra responsibility on me to ensure things are normalised and to ensure that people who are responsible for this are held accountable."Asked whether criminal liability was being examined, Naidu said, "Everything. All of them. All of them are going to follow."He confirmed that the ongoing inquiry will scrutinise the Directorate General of Civil Aviation after concerns were raised about staffing and oversight. "We are trying to look into the DGCA also. These all will be thoroughly inquired, and any allegation that has come will be reviewed and necessary action will definitely be taken," he said. He added that no wrongdoing has been identified so far, saying, "Not yet, nothing."Naidu said the government aims to restore normal operations while ensuring accountability.